Tampa Bay Downs trainer Craig Smith drove about 3,100 miles from his farm near Calgary, Alberta in November to compete at the Oldsmar, Florida track for the first time since 2012.
“Hauling horses, you don’t always take the fastest route,” Smith said. “We usually ship to Kentucky and stay a few days to give them a chance to recover, so it took about four days to get to Tampa.”
That was okay with his 4-year-old colt Smart as Me, who is used to playing the waiting game.
Smith, who competes at Century Mile Racetrack in Edmonton throughout the spring, summer, and early fall, and has 477 career wins, purchased the Kentucky-bred son of Malibu Moon out of Siren Serenade, by Unbridled’s Song, for $6,000 from consignor James Keogh at the 2021 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Siren Serenade is a half sister to 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) winner George Vancouver and 2001 Remsen (G2) winner Saarland. Smart as Me was bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corp., which bought Siren Serenade, a daughter of Danzig’s multiple Grade 1-winning daughter Versailles Treaty, for $1,025,000 at the 2017 Keeneland January horses of all ages sale. Siren Serenade also is the dam of 2015 Santa Anita Oaks (G1) runner-up Luminance, by Tale of the Cat, and multiple Grade 3-placed Stellar Sound, by Tapit.
Smart as Me’s sale price is not a misprint, although one might think so given the pedigree.
“He had some issues, so we decided to give him last summer off and bring him here. We’ve been high on him the whole time we’ve had him and he’s gotten better and better,” Smith said.
And, in the process, Smart as Me has turned into one of the “feel-good” stories of the 2022-2023 Tampa Bay Downs meet.
After finishing fourth in his career debut on Nov. 4 at Century Mile, Smart as Me has turned the Tampa Bay Downs into his own personal playground. He has been first across the wire in four of his six local starts (he was disqualified and placed third on Jan. 20), breaking his maiden on Dec. 16 in a one-mile and 40-yard race taken off the turf and winning his last two on the lawn. He was eligible to be claimed for $25,000 from his Feb. 26 victory, but probably won’t be again anytime soon as Smith looks for a suitable race to continue his ascent.
Owned by Smith’s Dialed In Racing Stable in partnership with Calgary resident Adrian Munro’s Highfield Investment Group, Smart as Me turned on the jets in the stretch in the March 18th fifth race, the Lambholm South Race of the Week, powering over the turf course under jockey Pablo Morales to a 2¾-length victory from Dark and Fitzy in the excellent time of 1:34.97 for the mile. He returned $5.40 for the win.
His winning Beyer Speed Figure was 83, a lifetime best, according to Daily Racing Form.
The allowance victory was achieved in Smart as Me’s customary style of coming from far behind. In each of his victories, he has been last or second-to-last in the early going.
Returning to Tampa Bay Downs has been a rewarding experience for the 39-year-old Smith, who has made enough claims to increase his stable size to 13.
“This is a great place to develop horses,” Smith said. “I’ve always wanted to come back. It’s a good place to claim horses and the turf course is arguably the best in North America.”
And, every so often, it’s a place to dream big and realize those gasoline prices aren’t always as high as they look. Not with a horse such as Smart as Me.
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